Tunisia: Thousands take to streets to decry President Saied"s alleged "coup"

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Thousands of citizens and members of opposition parties took to Tunis’ streets on Sunday to condemn the presidential procedures taken a few days ago by the country’s President Qais Saied. The protest came following his decision to freeze parliament and assume executive power and reject talks with the Islamist opposition party Ennahda, the largest party in parliament.
Protesters gathered in front of the municipal theater on Habib Bourguiba Street decrying the alleged ‘coup,’ chanting slogans and raising Tunisian flags and signs bearing messages such as “Game over,” in response to the exceptional measures that came to strengthen Saied’s powers days ago, sparking great criticism among citizens.
“Today, as the people’s representatives, we are still in our parliamentary capacity, according to all the constitutional decrees by the President of the Republic, who overturned the Constitution of the Second Republic,” stated member of Parliament Amna bin Humaid during the rally.
Protesters also called for the restablishment of the recently abolished 2014 constitution, rejecting an “unconstitutional populist regime.”
“Today [we are] here in defense of freedom and defense of institutions, for which our martyrs died and for which we sacrificed 60 years, for a democratic country,” one protester explained.
Security units stationed in the capital closed all roads leading to Habib Bourguiba Street, to prevent the march from advancing the exceptional measures and confined it to the vicinity of the Municipal Theater.
Last July, amid a series of protests over the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, Saied sacked Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and dissolved the parliament, prompting both celebrations and protests in Tunis and across the country.

SOT, Amna bin Humaid, Member of Parliament (Arabic): “Today, as the people’s representatives, we are still in our parliamentary capacity, according to all the constitutional decrees by the President of the Republic, who overturned the Constitution of the Second Republic. Today, we go out to the street and stand against the coup. The coup that has become decisive in Tunisia. The coup that is monitored to violate the Tunisian constitution and all its chapters. The coup whose supporters came out to burn the constitution of the second republic. Today we stand on the lookout for this revolution.”

SOT, Protester (Arabic): “Today [we are] here in defence of freedom and defence of institutions, for which our martyrs died and for which we sacrificed 60 years, for a democratic country. The Tunisian people, whether they disagree with me in the matter or do not want freedom and the institutions of the state, there are those who want to be alone with it.”

SOT, Protester (Arabic): “Today we want to demand the return of the republican system that was abolished and the constitution that was referred to in order to move to an unconstitutional populist regime. This is what we totally reject. We want to continue on the 2014 constitution, if there are changes within this constitution or within the framework of a national dialogue.”
#Tunisia #Saied #Ennahda
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